1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to the field of information handling system error messaging, and more particularly to a system and method for error messaging through a display auxiliary channel.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Information handling systems typically present information as visual images at a display, such as a CRT or a flat panel display. Visual information generated by processing components of an information handling system is typically communicated to the display with a standardized cable, such as a VGA or DVI cable. For instance, a central processing unit (CPU) provides visual information to a graphics processing unit (GPU) that converts the information into pixel values and communicates the pixel values through the cable to the display. The GPU is typically integrated into the chipset of the information handling system or added into the system as a card interfaced with the chipset through an internal bus, such as a PCI Express bus. The presentation of visual information at the display is generally aided with the communication of management information from the display to the information handling system, such as by using the VESA Display Data Channel Standard and Access.bus. For instance, EDID EEPROM loaded on the display provides identification information to aid correct formatting of information at the display by the GPU. The display identification information is communicated through low speed serial links like DDC, essentially an I2C interface. Displays typically have a microcontroller that also presents menus for users to adjust display settings and perform basic error diagnostics.
In some situations, information handling systems experience errors that prevent proper operation of the GPU and, thus, presentation of visual information at a display. For example, errors during system startup prevent the operating system from functioning normally to generated visual information at the CPU. Alternatively, failures of various hardware components prevent the communication of visual information from the CPU to the GPU or other system components. Generally, firmware running in the chipset of the information handling system tracks and identifies such errors. However, communication of the error information from the firmware to a user presents a challenge if the display fails to reach an operational state due to restricted operability of the GPU. Some systems communicate failure codes to identify the source of the failure with LED lights extending from the chipset to the outer housing of the system. Other systems communicate failure codes with varying sounds, such as beeping codes, which play from an internal speaker system. Typically users must contact technical assistance from the manufacturer of the system to interpret such errors codes, resulting in increased costs to the manufacturer and slower error correction for the user.